


In Hiding

by morrezela



Series: In Hiding [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Angst, Boss/Employee Relationship, Dragons, M/M, Mindwiping, Secret Identity, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-04 21:18:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/715202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morrezela/pseuds/morrezela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The office Halloween party is a great opportunity for actor turned secretary Jared to show off some of his theater skills. It’s too bad his roommate picked up the wrong costume, and his boss has to have a meltdown as soon as he gets there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Hiding

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings:slight boss/employee dynamic, amazingly inaccurate representations of talent agencies, creature!fic, and sort of unhappy ending
> 
> All mistakes you find are my own.

“I hate you. There are not words to describe how much,” Jared mumbles as he dabs an extra bit of makeup on the end of his nose.

“Dude, I got you your costume, didn’t I?” Chad answers back as he fiddles with his cheap, black cape.

Chad is a vampire for Halloween. It’s cliché as all get out, but Jared gives him a begrudging thumbs up for going with the old school Dracula look instead of the modern, emo, sparkly one.

“You were supposed to get the werewolf. Remember? You,” Jared continues as he stalks out of their small, shared bathroom, “were supposed to go to the shop weeks ago to reserve the costumes.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that there was a high demand for size double extra ginormo werewolf costumes? I figured those things wouldn’t exactly be in high demand,” Chad says as he swirls in front of the full length mirror that their landlord let him put on the wall.

“They aren’t,” Jared explains for what seems like the fiftieth time, “that’s why they usually only have one of each kind, unlike the multiple copies of Count Von Look-a-Like that you’re wearing.”

Chad pouts in the mirror as he grabs his girlfriend’s eyebrow pencil to highlight the point of his widow’s peak on his forehead. Jared has also tried explaining to Chad that stealing a girl’s makeup accessories is a bad idea, especially when he’s wearing the point down on a brand new stick like he is, but Chad hasn’t listened to him about that either.

“The werecat is a better costume anyway. Nobody will be expecting it, trust me. I got you this job in the first place, right?” Chad says with a wave of his hand that is clearly meant to be dismissive.

“Okay one: you told me about the job. That isn’t the same as getting me it. I applied and interviewed the same as everybody else. Two: this is a Cowardly Lion costume. It’s only because I majored in theater that I know how to make it look like anything other than that,” Jared bites out. A clinical piece of his mind points out that it would be the perfect accent and phrasing to be paired with his desired werewolf costume. The snapping evokes the bite of a wolf not the yowl of a cat.  
Chad turns and frowns at Jared, “See? You don’t even want this job in the long run. Why are you so worried about making a good impression at the party?”

Jared sighs and stalks back into the bathroom to try to rearrange the curls in the costume’s beard into something a little less Wizard of Oz and a little more fearsome. He already took a picture of the costume in its original state so that he could put the bows back in the right spots when he’s done using it, so he only has to make sure that he doesn’t alter the cheap little ringlets beyond the point where he can form them back into a good enough state to get his rental deposit back.

Jared’s emphasis had actually been in acting, not in stage makeup, but he still has more experience in it than most people. He knows that whatever he does will probably be far more expressive than what the common office worker will be wearing to the party, but that isn’t the point.

The point is that he has to make the most of any opportunity to showcase his true talents. Jared is many things as an actor, but he is in no way fit for musical theater. He loves singing. He has an enormous appreciation for musicians. He just can’t keep on pitch all that well, so he knows that it is best to appreciate from the sidelines.

The Wizard of Oz is still a musical even if most of the singing is done by a little girl and some munchkins.

Horror, on the other hand, Jared is good at. He’s up for the hero or the villain with his hulking form and charming smile. He’s been working on getting his body into ripped perfection, and nothing speaks to being able to bridge the gap like a werewolf.

Or at least nothing did until vampires stopped being cold blooded killers and turned into emo, caring disco balls, but Jared does his best not to be bitter about that.

In any case, Jared and Chad might work in the offices of Ackles Incorporated, and as such they might have had to sign some waivers that said they wouldn’t try peddling their artistic skills to their bosses, but that doesn’t mean that Jared can’t show off his skills at the annual Halloween party so long as they stay couched in the guise of good, old dress up fun. Ackles Incorporated is one of the premier talent agencies in the country, and Jared knows an opportunity when he sees it.

Aside from his chances of maybe attracting the attention of some of the agents, there is another reason that Jared wants to look his best for the party, and it is one that he is so not telling Chad about.

Jared is the private secretary of Mr. Jensen Ackles himself, and despite Chad mocking him for having a ‘girl’ job, Jared’s position in the company is pretty sweet. He gets paid more than Chad for one thing. Heck, he even got a bonus for physically intervening when a budding starlet flew into a rage when Ackles refused to sign her.

Getting signed by the big guy himself is like the latest Hollywood must have. The corporation itself has a great track record, but Jensen’s personal clients are treated like gold. He calls them his treasures, and even though he’s only in his early thirties, Jensen makes sure that the studios and talk shows treat them just as good.

Only Jensen is very picky about who his personal clients are, and Jared’s learned pretty quickly who should and shouldn’t get through to Mr. Ackles. Jensen appreciates it too. Jared has three different watches and a tie tack in his possession that he’s pretty sure each cost more than he makes pre-taxes in four months of work. They might actually be worth more than what he’ll make in four years of work, but he doesn’t think about it because he doesn’t want to worry about them being stolen.

He hasn’t hocked a one of them though because he has a big, fat crush on his boss.

It is clichéd and as embarrassing as all get out. Jared could really care less about getting signed on by Jensen himself. Jared just wants a good agent, and he’s happy with maybe just breaking in and getting to do what he loves. He doesn’t need to be treated like royalty.

But when it comes to Jensen’s ass? Jared could so totally go for breaking that in and giving it the royal treatment. He’s heard more business men, directors, producers and actors talk about how attractive Jensen is than he can count. They all whisper about how Jensen has most of his own special clients beat in the looks department, and sometimes they even try to do something about it.

Jared has a little light hidden under his desk that Jensen turns on when things are making him uncomfortable in his office. It is Jared’s cue to interrupt Jensen’s meeting with some important information that just can’t wait. If Jared is away from his desk and doesn’t hit the answer button, the system starts ringing Jared’s company assigned phone.

He has five minutes to intervene. If he doesn’t, his ass is grass. Jensen made that very clear when he hired Jared, and the memory of it has very much kept Jared in line when it comes to keeping his flirty impulses in check.

But Halloween parties are the excuse of all excuses to just get out there and shine. You’re supposed to be wild and a little crazy at them. Jared can be at his artsy, awesome best. Or at least he would’ve been if Chad hadn’t saddled him with the baggy assed lion costume.

The werewolf one had been designed for the wearer to have his own pants on, and Jared had spent more than he strictly should have on a pair of jeans that showed off his legs and butt. It’s money that was really not well spent because now Jensen is never going to see him in them thanks to Chad’s fuck up.

The office dress code is a bitch because Jensen considers khakis to be casual Friday wear, and while Jared rocks a suit and tie very nicely, there is nothing like a pair of jeans and a little booty shaking to attract a guy’s attention.

Jared knows that he has an infinitesimal chance of attracting Jensen’s attention, but it still hurts that what chance he did have has been obliterated thanks to his friend’s laziness.

And the bitch of it all is that he really likes Jensen. He likes him a whole lot. Jensen’s always got a smile for him and has even taken to buying Jared a fancy, shmancy coffee every day for their morning meeting. Sometimes Jensen even pats his hand when Jared comes up with a brilliant idea and leaves it there for a few seconds longer than he should. He talks to Jared about football games and movies, and although Jared has been very careful not to mention his acting aspirations to Jensen, Jensen always includes Jared in any artistic debate that happens to erupt in his office. He values Jared’s artistic opinion, and Jared can’t see that as anything but an encouragement.

Jensen calls his mother twice a week, and sends care packages to his grandmother. Jensen buys Jared dinner when a high strung client makes them both come back to work even though it says right in Jared’s contract that it is expected of him to do so.

Jensen is awesome, and he makes butterflies dance in Jared’s stomach.

Jared looks into the mirror to find his fearsome werecat face smiling stupidly back at him. He looks fucking ridiculous. 

Angrily he slaps the bathroom lights off and barks at Chad to get his ass moving.

If Chad makes him late on top of everything else, Jared thinks he might just grow a real pair of claws.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The party is pretty impressive, but then again, Jared didn’t expect anything less. Jensen’s business is at the top for a reason, and parties in Hollywood are anything but an excuse to just lay back and have a good time. He’s already spotted some of his coworkers being less than subtle towards the talent agents.

The only reason that they aren’t draped over the arms of a producer or director is because Jensen is very strict about his company parties being company parties. He doesn’t invite outsiders into his domain. Jared heard one of the agents get literally growled at for even suggesting it.

There are lines that Jensen draws for what he considers appropriate, and sharing ‘his’ employee mingling time is one of those lines. Jared doesn’t pretend to get it. He just shrugs his shoulders and tells Jensen, “Yes, Boss,” whenever he gets a little funny. They’re in the entertainment business, and Jared figures it is just one of those things.

That sometimes Jensen’s eye color fits him too well doesn’t bother Jared most days. Jensen is possessive and a borderline hoarder, but he’s got the money to cover it up with, and he’s more than fair to his employees. What does Jared care if the guy keeps adding on to his gigantic garage so that he can house all the clunker cars he keeps buying on weekends?

Truth be told, Jensen’s eccentricity is one of the reasons that Jared is enamored of him. The guy has no problems buying his secretary well thought out and expensive gifts, but when he buys something for his personal collection the only criterion seems to be, “Ooooh! Shiny!”

The first time that Jared reconciled Jensen’s personal expenses for him, he almost fainted at the insane amount of crap the guy bought. Okay, so he first almost fainted at the size of the balances in the accounts and the fact that one man had three ‘spare’ accounts that were on the borderline of the maximum federally insured amount, but that is beside the point.

The point is that Jensen buys himself random crap and then meticulously catalogues it. He’ll go to a Sotheby’s auction one week and then spend the next weekend tooling around local rummage sales buying used knickknacks.

Once on their way back from a lunch meeting that Jensen insisted Jared take verbatim notes on, Jensen pulled a U turn to go investigate a used station wagon. The thing was a hunk of junk, but Jensen for some damned reason loved it and insisted on buying it.

Jared didn’t complain though. Jensen had more cash in his pocket than the owners were looking for, and Jensen insisted on being the one to drive the mom car of yesteryear back to his private estate and team of mechanics. The fact that Jared got to drive the brand new, custom paint job, deluxe edition Camaro (Jensen’s ‘every day Monday’ car) had nothing to do with it.

“Enjoying the party, Jay?” Jensen’s warm voice rumbles in Jared’s ear making his presence in the present known.

Turning to look at his boss, Jared can’t keep a tiny smile from messing with his fearsome werecat look. Jensen is stunning. Not that he isn’t always good looking, but the heavy brocade cape and polished high boots really offset the whole medieval look he’s got going on. Jared knows for a fact that the diamond stud that is holding the cape together is real, and he is willing to bet money that the sword on Jensen’s hip came out of an antique auction.

Or it came out of some prop place’s trash. One can never know with Jensen.

“It’s really great,” is the lame response that comes out of Jared’s lips, and the knowledge of it makes his face scowl.

Jensen grins back at him. “You should do that more. It really makes you look like a lion.”

That’s one of the other things that makes Jared like his boss so much. Jensen is so encouraging. It isn’t like he inhaled a motivational manager manual because Jared’s had those kinds of bosses, and he knows the difference. It’s just that Jensen likes to say nice things.

“Thanks,” Jared tells him, another smile breaking through despite his best intentions.

Jensen tilts his head to one side and then the other before saying, “You planning on leaving me, Jared?”

It isn’t said with rancor or even with irritation, but there is something in Jensen’s tone that is off. It isn’t that Jensen’s suddenly cottoned on to the idea that Jared is looking for a break. He figures that Jensen has known that since the day that he read Jared’s resume. Jared hadn’t bothered to hide his theatrical arts degree, and oddly enough, Jensen had never once asked about his ambitions. The contract had just gotten slid across the desk and an admonition given to read it thoroughly before signing.

“No? I mean, I don’t plan on it exactly,” Jared hedges. He can’t afford to lose his job, but he knows that Jensen hates getting lied to.

“But you think it might happen?” Jensen presses, and his eyes are starting to dart back and forth. It’s a sign that he’s distressed for some reason. The last time that Jensen looked that way, he was backed into a corner of his office by a tiny little actress intent on showing off her blow job skills.

“Well, I mean, it’s not like my acting career is going anywhere at the moment, and I like my job,” Jared says slowly.

“But if you got a role, you’d leave?” Jensen asks, his voice taking on the distinct edge of panic.

Jared can’t exactly lie. If he gets offered an acting job of substance, he’s going to have to take more than a couple days off from work to film it, and they both know that he’ll do it. If Jared had wanted to be a secretary, he would’ve gotten a clerical certificate or something.

“Jensen,” he starts off, but Jensen turns and stalks away before Jared can get any other words out of his mouth.

People are staring, and Jared silently curses his boss for being so damned noticeable all the time.

“He’s upset over not being able to find a receipt, and it’s, uh, keeping him from enjoying the party,” Jared announces to his coworkers in his general vicinity. It’s a tribute to how nuts they all know Jensen to be that their faces break out into smiles, and they restart their happy talk.

Nervously, Jared follows after Jensen. He can’t afford to lose his job, and even if he could, he doesn’t want Jensen to be upset. Jensen might be weird, but Jared likes him that way. Besides that, Jensen has never treated with anything other than kindness.

He finds Jensen in his office staring out over the night view of the city. It isn’t the best view in town, not even Jensen could afford that, but it’s a good one.

“Mr. Ackles?” Jared tentatively asks.

“Are we down to that already?” Jensen asks back mirthlessly.

Jared feels ten kinds of awkward as he moves farther into the room to stand beside his boss. In the reflection of the window, he can see Jensen’s somber face and elegant clothing, and he can see his own ridiculous outfit. It’s like a perfect picture of how completely different they are, and how Jared’s stupid crush is insane.

Still the impossibility of his crush is nothing new, and Jared needs to fix whatever is bothering Jensen, or work is going to be a bitch come Monday morning.

“You’re upset,” Jared starts off with a statement of fact.

Jensen shrugs and says, “It’s nothing new. It just gets tiring after a while.”

“I thought you knew that I… You couldn’t have thought I’d stay here forever. I mean, you’re a great boss, Jensen. A great guy, but…” Jared trails off. He knows that having these sorts of conversations with your boss isn’t considered appropriate for the workplace.

“Always with the buts, or maybe that’s never the butts,” Jensen quips as he turns to look at Jared. There’s a teasing smile on his face that doesn’t get anywhere close to his eyes. He looks ancient, like his face is carved out of marble and has seen a few centuries worth of wear.

“I love working for you. I do. I just have dreams, you know?” Jared tells him earnestly. It feels like he’s breaking up with his girlfriend more than he’s letting his boss know that he won’t always be around to fetch him his midmorning coffee refill.

Jensen sighs and nods. “I know. I’m just in a bad business for my dreams. Hollywood sucks.”

Jared laughs at that because he doesn’t need to be told twice about the perils of Tinseltown. “You’re the richest man I know. I’m sure that you could probably fund your own dreams. If the job is getting to you, maybe you should take a vacation or something.”

“And leave my little starlets and pretty actors to fend for themselves? I couldn’t do that, Jared. It isn’t who I am,” Jensen tells him softly.

“They’d get along fine without you. They’re all really good, and you could make sure they got good agents.”

“But they wouldn’t be mine anymore,” Jensen says sadly.

“Well, no, but…”

“Just like you won’t,” Jensen interrupts, “I know talent when I see it, and someday you’ll get a part, and you’ll be out there signing autographs and having your picture taken.”

Jared tries not to preen at the praise, but he does a bad job of it. Jensen is good at what he does, and if he’s giving Jared a compliment, he means it. He has no reason to lie about it, and Jared is an artist. He likes to be validated.

“Look at you glow. Shining like a star already,” Jensen’s voice is one part amused and the rest melancholy.

“Sorry?” Jared offers, though they both know he doesn’t really mean it.

Jensen waves away the apology and perches on the edge of his desk. “Don’t be. It’s who you are. It’s who all of you are, and it’s that look that keeps me in the business when so many of you start to turn into egotistical bastards and crazed coke heads.”

“I’ve never done drugs if that helps.”

Jensen smiles at that. “I know. It’s one of the reasons why I… Well that doesn’t matter now. We should look into getting you an agent. Phil is available, but he’s not going to be gentle with you. Marcia’s got a good head on her shoulders, but her contact list needs some work. She’ll be using your name heavily once you get some screen time on you, and there is potential for burn out. Louis is overbooked. Louise, on the other hand, is…”

Jared’s hand comes to rest over Jensen’s frantically typing hands. “Aren’t we both supposed to be at a party?”

He doesn’t object to Jensen’s sudden fervor at helping him break into the business. He’s got an agent, but the guy has been horrible at getting Jared seen let alone booked. Getting recommended by Jensen Ackles is the next best thing to being represented by him, and Jared isn’t about to turn that down, but he thinks that his fame can wait until the party is actually over.

Jensen’s hand curls into a hard fist under Jared’s. “Don’t do this to me, Jay. I’m not that strong,” he grinds out through clenched teeth.

Jared removes his hand slowly. “Do what?”

Jensen doesn’t say anything. He just keeps typing away on his laptop, pulling up names of agents and sending the ones he likes to the printer for additional consideration. Clicking through contacts and possible projects like Jared’s seen him do for all sorts of clients, Jensen is acting like it’s a normal workday.

Only it isn’t. Jensen didn’t even turn the lights on in the office, and the glow from his computer monitor is bringing his pinched face into a stark relief against the dark cityscape behind him.

“Jensen,” Jared bites out in frustration.

Green eyes track to him. The look in them is terribly sad yet defiantly stubborn. “Yes?”

“You deserve to have what you want,” Jared tells him sincerely.

“Oh, I know that,” Jensen says, “but that doesn’t mean that I’ll ever get it.”

“Well why don’t you go after it? Or tell me, maybe I could give you some ideas. I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time,” Jared tries to reason.

“Because I can’t, Jared. You wouldn’t understand.”

Jared feels insulted by that. “Why? Because I’m the lowly secretary? Because I’m some stupid actor who wants to spend the rest of his life pretending to be somebody else while getting told what to do?”

“Because you’re human!” Jensen yells back at him as he pushes his expensive office chair back and stands to his full height. His fancy cape swirls around him as he moves, and Jared swears that it lifts like there are a pair of wings underneath before his eyes focus back on Jensen’s face.

Jensen’s eyes are actually glowing. Their brightness rivals the brightness of the computer monitor in the dark room with the light green light they’re giving off.

Jared freezes. His mind is unable to process the way that Jensen is looking at him. It’s a trick. There is a Halloween party going on downstairs, and this is all some elaborate trick of Jensen’s. Only there isn’t any reason to be playing this sort of game with Jared, and Jensen isn’t the type to use theatrics in any manner other than pure fun.

“You’re human, and you don’t love me. Nobody ever will love me,” Jensen adds quietly as he sits back down in his chair.

“I…” Jared wants to run. He wants to scream and yell.

But Jared also wants to stay and ask questions and maybe even take that sadness away from Jensen’s creepy gaze.

“I’d go with the staying impulse if it’s all the same to you,” Jensen’s voice is rough as he speaks. “I’d have to chase you down otherwise, and I don’t think I could catch you before you hit the party. And I really don’t feel like mesmerizing my whole damned staff… again.”

“You’re not human,” are the words that Jared goes with when he can finally smother the urge to shriek. A part of him blames the whole situation on Chad. He’s sure that karma is coming around and biting him in the ass for trying to toughen up his Cowardly Lion costume.

“Got that, did you?” Jensen mumbles back sarcastically.

“What are you?” Jared asks, his curiosity getting the better of him. There is a cat comment in there that his unhelpful brain keeps trying to make, but he refuses to let it get the better of him.

“A dragon,” Jensen says forthrightly. “I’m a dragon, Jared. Suffice it to say that the whole thing is a long story, and you don’t need to worry about it.”

“Okay,” Jared says. He can accept that. More than that, he wants to accept Jensen’s words because he isn’t sure he wants to know more. “So what’s with the mind reading trick?”

Apparently his subconscious isn’t as okay with not knowing as he is.

“I told you, I’m a dragon, or did you think that was a metaphor for being in the mafia?”

“No, I know. I just, just can you always do that?” Jared squeaks a little at the end of his sentence. He’s had some very embarrassing daydreams around Jensen that range from grand fantasies about being a movie star to dirty porno thoughts of him and Jensen in very dirty, bad, wrong situations.

“Yes, I always can, but no I don’t. It’s an effort to listen in, and it’s a lot like having a conversation. You tune out what’s going on around you. So no, I don’t know what sexual fantasies you’ve been having at your desk.”

“How did you know that I was…”

“Jared, humans are fairly predictable with their fantasies. Trust me.”

“So I’m boring?” Jared doesn’t know what that is what comes out of his mouth. He sure doesn’t know why he’s insulted at being told his private daydreams are too mundane for Jensen to break into his head and stalker watch.

“No. You’re perfect, and I love you,” Jensen confesses, “but you don’t love me.”

“What?”

“Look,” Jensen says as he rises again and comes around his desk, “I’m a dragon. We collect everything. Cars, jewels, money… people. It’s our nature to cherish and preserve and nurture them. In the old days our collections would bring the ire of humans who grew jealous of the bountiful nature of our lairs. While their people and farms would grow sick with illness, we kept ours healthy and whole. This led, as it always does, to wars.”

Jensen comes to a stop in front of Jared. “Western civilization has given us the perfect excessive culture to hide in, and the management gig is a great way to take care of our humans without people accusing us of unsavory things.”

“So I’m one of your human collection?” Jared asks.

“I guess so,” Jensen says with great sadness in his voice.

“You don’t sound too happy about that.”

“I’m not,” Jensen answers bluntly. “But when it comes to our lover, we can’t collect or hoard. We have only one heart, and it must be stolen from us. I would give you it freely, but it is not in you to take it. I’m the idiot whose hopes grew too high.”

“I do like you,” Jared offers because it only seems fair. He isn’t sure that he loves Jensen, but he can admit that he’s attached to him.

“I know,” Jensen acknowledges.

“Sorry?”

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault, and you’re too pretty for such worries.”

Jared’s face screws up at the compliment, and Jensen laughs.

“Poor Jared, don’t worry, your affronted manhood won’t even be a memory soon.”

Jared doesn’t like the sound of that and takes a step back. Jensen’s hand strikes out lightning fast to grab hold of his wrist.

“I’m sorry, Jay. I really am, but I can’t exactly have you going around telling people about the crazy dragon. It won’t be good for your reputation, and I can’t have nutcases come hunting me or my family. And I know that you think you won’t tell, but someday you won’t be able to help it.”

“What are you going to do to me?” Jared asks, his heart pounding in fear.

“Nothing bad, I promise. Mesmerizing doesn’t hurt. It doesn’t even have any side effects. You’ll just have some hazy spots in your memory. After a day or so, you won’t even notice. It’ll be just like how you can’t remember what you had to eat for lunch on Tuesday six weeks ago.”

“You’re going to give me amnesia?” Jared tries to wrench his hand out of Jensen’s grasp, but Jensen won’t let go.

“No. I’m just, I’ve done this before, okay? You kind of have to learn if you ever want to have sex. I look human, but there are just some things that shapeshifting doesn’t hide when you’re in the throes of passion.”

Jared doesn’t want to know. He kind of doesn’t even want to be in the same room with Jensen right now.

“Quit squirming!” Jensen’s voice booms in the office, and the responding quiet allows the sounds of the party to filter in around the sounds of their breathing.

“You’ll only hurt yourself,” Jensen continues in a much calmer voice, “and then I’ll have to come up with a reason why you’re bruised and finger prints only come from rough sex and bad things.”

Jared swallows with a click but doesn’t move. “That’s why you always let me interrupt those advances.”

“Among other reasons of not wanting my ass sued, but yeah, I can hurt them pretty easy if I’m panicked and not in control. My mojo doesn’t cover miraculous healing. And I’m not fond of the idea of them finding my scales. I don’t like those getting touched not even by my lovers.”

“I thought you said that you only had one.” Jared tries to catch Jensen in a lie. He wants Jensen to be lying, because then he can go back to pretending the whole thing is a gigantic deception.

“I just don’t like calling my dalliances ‘sexual partners.’ It seems so mean, and I like to see my humans happy. But my lover in the proper sense, you… he will be my only one. My heart will be his, and my scales will be his to touch,” Jensen says an almost wistful tone coming to his voice.

Then he shakes his head, and his eyes grow even brighter than before. “Enough of my pitiful musings. You have a party to get back to. There is networking for my little human to do.”

 

“Jensen,” Jared manages to gasp out before his head starts spinning. For a moment, he feels sicker than sick then he blinks.

“Thanks so much for coming to help me, but I want all of my employees to enjoy the party, you especially. I can handle this particular temper tantrum on my own. If she wants her bottled water to be room temperature, she’ll get it, right?” Jensen’s voice sounds terribly off to Jared, but he can’t place why.

“Uh, right,” Jared agrees. He remembers following Jensen to the office, but he can’t remember which of Jensen’s high maintenance actresses they’re talking about.

“I’ll be down shortly. Save me one of the bloody eyeballs from the punch, will you? Somebody always eats them all,” Jensen continues talking as he herds Jared towards the door.

“Sure, sure,” Jared agrees just before the door clicks shut behind him.

Not knowing what else to do, he heads back to the Halloween party and tries to push away the feeling that he just lost something very valuable.


End file.
